The HRIC Daily Brief is a daily selection of news stories and commentary related to human rights in China, drawn from Chinese- and English-language news and online media sources that we monitor daily. In addition to headlines and source links, HRIC also provides English translation of Chinese headlines.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Access to Justice (司法公正)

北京法院受理家事案件数量逐年上升 矛盾点集中房产 (Family law caseload for Beijing courts Increases year on year, conflicts center upon property)
Legal Daily, August 12, 2015
http://www.chinanews.com/sh/2015/08-12/7462353.shtml

Chinese woman unable to visit husband in jail as “marriage certificate does not prove marriage”
South China Morning Post, August 12, 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1848891/chinese-woman-unable-visit-husband-jail-marriage-certificate-does

Access to Information (信息公开)

CNN, local Chinese media struggle to report on Tianjin explosion
Hong Kong Free Press, August 13, 2015
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2015/08/13/cnn-local-chinese-media-struggle-to-report-on-tianjin-explosion/

Related:
Emotions run high at Chinese hospital after blasts
Cable News Network, August 12, 2015
http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/08/12/china-explosion-hospital-ripley.cnn

內地微博流傳一張照片聲稱是天津爆炸傷者名單 (Weibo circulates purported list of casualties from Tianjin explosion)
Radio Television Hong Kong, August 13, 2015
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1204870-20150813.htm

Industrial accidents in China continue to exact high toll in lives and property
South China Morning Post, August 13, 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1849194/industrial-accidents-china-continue-exact-high-toll-lives-and

高瑜案二审将至 当局不准律师披露案情 (Gao Yu’s second instance trial nears, authorities forbid lawyer to disclose information)
Radio Free Asia, August 12, 2015
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql1-08122015111655.html/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Teasing out Ai Weiwei’s endgame, after China lifts a travel ban
The New York Times, August 12, 2015
http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/12/teasing-out-ai-weiweis-endgame-after-china-lifts-a-travel-ban/

Chinese lawyers, activists call for a rights dialogue with teeth
Radio Free Asia, August 12, 2015
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/dialogue-08122015124849.html

Related:
HRIC Commentary: U.S.–China Human Rights Dialogue
Human Rights in China, August 12, 2015
http://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/statement/hric-commentary-us-china-human-rights-dialogue

Clampdown amid questions over death of Tibetan Monk in custody
Radio Free Asia, August 12, 2015
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/clampdown-08122015152100.html

Government Accountability (政府问责)

淮南兑现拖欠15年国家赔偿金 当事人拒收并要求追责 (Huainan offers to pay 15-year overdue state compensation with interest to come, party involved wants lump-sum and seeks accountability for wrongful conviction)
Anhui Online, August 13, 2015
http://ah.anhuinews.com/system/2015/08/13/006911932.shtml

全国人大常委会委员:贪贿犯罪最高刑罚死刑未取消 (NPC Standing Committee Member: Death as supreme punishment for corruption will not be abolished)
China News (original not found), August 12, 2015
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2015/08-12/7461806.shtml

Excerpts from report:
“四中全会决定特别提出,要贯彻落实总体国家安全观,加快国家安全法治建设,抓紧出台一批急需法律,构建国家安全法律制度体系,已经制定国家安全法、反间谍法,正在审议反恐怖主义法、境外非政府组织管理法、网络安全法等。” "Fourth plenum agreed on establishing a comprehensive national security legal framework, accelerating implementation of governance in accordance with the National Security Law, introducing urgently needed laws, and establishing an institutional system of National Security Law. The National Security Law and Counter-Espionage Law are already enacted, and the Counter-Terrorism Law, the FNGO Law and the Cybersecurity Law (among others) are now being deliberated upon."

“反家庭暴力法是社会法领域里面大家比较关注的一部法律,这部法律如果没有什么变数的话准备在八月份的常委会进行初审。” "The Anti-Domestic Violence Law is one of the social laws which everyone is focusing on, if there are no changes, then expect that this law will undergo its first deliberation in August."

外媒报道中国强征农地暴力冲突事件 (Foreign media report violent conflicts arising from China’s forced land requisition)
Radio Free Asia, August 12, 2015
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/xql-08122015111053.html/

China investigates former tourism official for corruption, leaking state secrets
Reuters, August 12, 2015
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/12/us-china-corruption-idUSKCN0QH0FA20150812

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

第二批139家网警执法账号集中上线, 网上公开巡查执法以来已警示万余人次 (Second batch of 139 Internet police law enforcement accounts go online, more than 10,000 people already have been given warnings since inception of open online patrol and law enforcement)
Legal Daily, August 13, 2015
http://epaper.legaldaily.com.cn/fzrb/content/20150813/Articel01004GN.htm

China cybersecurity fears prompt business groups to press Obama: Ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit, U.S. firms say Beijing’s policies are hurting their ability to operate in China”
Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/business-tech-groups-press-obama-on-china-competition-concerns-1439361855

Hong Kong (香港)

Pro-Cantonese groups concerned over China Liaison Office’s presence at school ceremony
Hong Kong Free Press, August 13, 2015
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2015/08/13/pro-cantonese-groups-concerned-over-china-liaison-offices-presence-at-school-ceremony/

劉進圖案陪審團裁定2被告全部罪名成立 (Assault of ex Mingpao chief editor Kevin Lau: Jury clears 2 defendants of all charges)
Radio Television Hong Kong, August 13, 2015
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1204882-20150813.htm

Related:
劉進圖相信遇襲案裁決公正 冀警方再接再厲 (Assault of ex Mingpao chief editor Kevin Lau: Lau sees conviction as fair, hopes police will continue investigation)
Radio Television Hong Kong, August 13, 2015
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1204906-20150813.htm

National Security and Counterterrorism (国家安全和反恐)

警方辟谣北京南站砍人事件:系大连反恐演练视频 (Police deny rumors of Beijing South Railway Station knife attack: Footage allegedly showing incident was actually from Dalian counterterrorism exercise)
People’s Daily Online, August 13, 2015
http://legal.people.com.cn/n/2015/0813/c42510-27457504.html

Opinion and Editorial (观点和社论)

China’s political firewall—Mass arrest of lawyers
The Diplomat, August 12, 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/chinas-political-firewall-mass-arrest-of-lawyers/

Related:
A letter of protest against China’s arrest of rights lawyers, to be read at a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and then formally delivered
China Change, August 13, 2015
http://chinachange.org/2015/08/12/a-letter-of-protest-against-chinas-arrest-of-rights-lawyers-to-be-read-at-a-rally-in-front-of-the-chinese-embassy-in-washington-d-c-and-then-formally-delivered/

Mass suppression of lawyers reveals true nature of Xi’s “rule by law”
对维权律师的大规模镇压揭示了习近平“依法治国”的真实面目
Human Rights in China, July 16, 2015
EN: http://www.hrichina.org/en/mass-crackdown-chinese-lawyers-and-defenders
CH: http://hrichina.org/chs/zhong-guo-da-gui-mo-zhen-ya-wei-quan-lu-shi-he-huo-yue-ren-shi

Over 50 world-wide civil society organizations signed joint statement in support of the arrested lawyers in China
全球超过50个民间团体联署声援被拘捕中国律师
China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, August 13, 2015
EN: http://www.chrlawyers.hk/en/content/press-releaseover-50-world-wide-civil-society-organizations-signed-joint-statement-support
CH: http://www.chrlawyers.hk/zh-hans/content/新闻稿全球超过50个民间团体联署声援被拘捕中国律师

Q&A: How to cope with perils of being a Chinese news assistant for foreign media
Committee to Protect Journalists, August 11, 2015
https://cpj.org/blog/2015/08/qa-how-to-cope-with-perils-of-being-a-chinese-news.php

A way out of Hong Kong's polarised politics is possible
The South China Morning Post, August 12, 2015
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1848853/way-out-hong-kongs-polarised-politics-possible